The tension that had begun building in his body relaxes as she makes no further advances as they move deeper into the ocean. He listens, occasionally making small noises to match the information she reveals, but otherwise silent as she speaks of her home. When she mentions that her home is gone, jagged barbs of pain and longing prod at his heart, threatening to pierce the pulsing muscle and spill his blood and overwhelming emotions into the salted water.
He swallows hard, forcing the lump in his throat down to where (he feels that) it belongs. If she seeks someone to commiserate with, he is an ideal choice, for he knows much of loss; but he is not sure if he is ready to share that side of himself just yet, so he nods stiffly in the brief pause she takes. He considers her statement about the temperature of the water. He had never given it much thought before, for he did not spend much time off land these days. Yes, it is quite warm now; perhaps he will have to visit in the winter, to see if there is much difference then. Realizing that she has not spoken for a fair amount of time, he takes the opportunity to respond.
“The warmth is nice, I’m not much of a fan of cold though, so I might be biased. I am sorry to hear that your home is gone. Not being from these parts, I’m not familiar with… Ischia, is it? Would you mind describing it? I am curious as to what this place used to be like...” ’…before I was ripped away from my family and was brought here’ is what he means to say when his words trail into silence again, but he cannot quite bring himself to voice the thought yet.
He watches her as she twists and turns even further into the depths and he cannot help but admire the flashes of light, the rainbow colors that dance along her scales. The black tips of his tentacles swirl in a delicate, dizzying manner as he uses them to propel himself after her. When he has caught up, he responds to her queries.
“I’m actually not sure how far Baltia is from here. I’ve never been, all I know is that it lies at the heart of the sea.” His head bobs affirmatively as he continues, “You are welcome to come along if you like. I’m not sure if I can actually get there… it may be too deep for me.”
He is grateful that the fairy of the Mountain had given him a chance to prove himself worthy of the kraken’s abilities. If his suspicions are confirmed today, at least it might be possible to reach Baltia someday. Whether he’ll find what he’s been searching for, well, that’s something he has less faith in these days.
@
Deiti